Submersible amphibian landing craft



Feb. 10, 1953 N. GAGLIANO SUBMERSIBLE AMPHIBIAN LANDING CRAFT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1947 v n.. PM .5 m n m r\\ I N w 2 N11 cholra Gag-Z (am; 0

Ba: I

@444 Ht to? may Feb. 10, 1953 GAGLIANQ 2,627,832

SUBMERSIBLE AMPHIBIAN LANDING CRAFT Filed July 25, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l lllllllllllllllllllJ l Hlllllllllllllllllll fllllllllllllilllllllllll! Inventor Nzzilala s G ZiaW Feb. 10, 1953 GAGLlANo 2,627,832

SUBMERSIBLE AMPHIBIAN LANDING CRAFT Filed July 25, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nz'cfiolas 66151111710 flttorney Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT "orr'icafl Nicholas Gagliano, Wauwatos'a, Wis.. Application July 25, 1947, Serial Nb. 763,493

1 Claim. (01. 114-70) This invention relates mersible' amphibians of particular military significance for the secret transportation of tanks, trucks and other military equipment to a-beach and landing .them thereon without benefit of wharves or docks or the like.

1 An object of the invention is to provide asubmersible amphibian of the type capable of sailing on the sea from its base to a field of activity, below the sea in approaching its objective, and capable of hauling itself out of the water upon shores or beaches of diflicul-t terrain for the pur- .pose of discharging its cargo dry shod.

Another object of the invention is to provide a craft of thechara-cter described which will be simple in construction, lending itself to mass production methods, flexible in operation, structurally adequate, seaworthy and inexpensive to construct and operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a submersible amphibian with a bow door for the purpose of loading and unloading the craft with suitable closures to withstand great hydrostatic pressure but of such simple design to assure reliable functioning of the same under all conditions of service.

Another object of the invention is to provide a submersible amphibian with an emergency bow door similar in construction to the aforementioned bow door and an emergency ramp which may be used in conjunction with suitable manually placed gangplanks for the purpose of unloading the craft in the event the bow door became inoperative.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which: v

Figure l is a view in side elevation, partly in section, showing a submersible amphibian constructed in accordance with my invention and showing a tank carried therein ready for unloadmg.

Figure 2 is a top plan view similar to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the bow showing the bow doors in the closed position.

Figure 4 is a stern elevation thereof.

Figure5 is a cross sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a horizontal section view take n 0 line 6-6 of Figure 5. I

Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal section view taken on line 1-1 of Figure 5.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are enlarged vertical sectional views taken on lines 88, 9-9 and Iii-J0, respectively, of Figure 1.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the extreme bow portion illustrating the bow door and emergency door and a preferred means for securing the same.

to improvements insub- Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seenthat the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated comprises a hull l rectangular insectionforthe greater portion of its length except where it is faired to an airfoil section in the bow and a gently streamlined section inthe stern. :Track-laying mechanisms 2 for on land propulsionj-are mounted on opposite sides of h ll .l-' at a suitable distance from the bow and from the stern. v

The .bow, fin 3 and stem iin i are used to control the-movements of the craft while submerged in conjunction with the rudder 5. When operating onthe surface, or on land, the fins 3 and i may be folded upwardlyinto the recesses 4 in the hull l for their protection. Motivation while waterborne or submerged is-provided by the propeller 6.-

On the upper surfaceof the hull I at about the I center of the craft. is located the control cabin 8 having a periscope 9 for submerged operation and suitable radar l0 and other aids to navigation for surface operation. Suitable reinforced transparent portions l3 are fitted in the forward surface of the controlcabin 8 to facilitate navigation. The hatch I4 is provided for ingress and egress when the bow door I! is secured.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate clearly the placement of the bow door 11, the emergency door I5, the stern-l6,- and-the door hinges 12. The partial or fragmentary section in Figure 1. displays thetank ll resting on the-deck- 3] within the hull l. The deck 3! and the inner surface of the bow door l'l may bewood sheathed if desired to providebetter traction for the cargo vehicles andtoreduce noise. H

As illustrated-in Figure 5, taken-with Figures 6 and I, -the hull .1 consists ofthe outer welded steel shell plating l8, and. inner welded steelskin 2B stifiened'by a plurality of steel plate frames 19. In theextreme bow deepfloors 35 are employed to stiffen the shell plating. l8 and a permanent steel ramp 30 is employed in place'of the usual inner skin' 20. 'In. the extreme stem the shell plating i8 is again stiffened by deep floors 35 and the deck 3| is employed to replace the inner skin 20.' The control cabin 8 is separated from the remainder of the hull'l-f by a deck 22. The hull Lis further partitioned by the deck 31 and a plurality ofbulkheadsll. In the extreme stern of the hull l separatedrby bulkhead 2i from the cargovehicle-compartment is the steering engine spacefor compartment 23.- The steering engine 33 in the compartment 23 patrols through suitable mechanism 34 to movement of the rudder'fis Below the deck 3| and between the "bulkhead-lil 'are the machinery compartments.

A preferred arrangement of the machinery would employ the forward compartment to con-' tain a motor 28 for driving the forward tracklaying devices 2 by suitable means, a plurality of air compressors 29 with suitable air storage bottles 28 to supply compressed. air for the purpose of exhausting water ballast when surfacing and for other uses.

The amidship machinery compartment would contain a plurality of diesel generators 25 to supply electrical current for the motivation of the craft, to operate the craft's machinery, for lighting th same, and for charging suitable-batteriesfor underseas operation. A suitable numberof pumps 21 are fitted herein for the transfer of ballast, fuel oil, etc.

The after machinery space would be employed to contain a. motor ii'for driving. by suitable means the after track-layingdevice 2i and the main propulsion motor-driving. the propeller 6 through a suitable shaft 3fi, The shaft 35' isheld inposition by appropriate-bearings fitted in the stem l6'' and fitted with suitable hoisting and lowering cables to permit it's after end to be dropped to the deck 3l to allow the passing of the cargo vehicles through the emergency door and down the manually placed gangplank in the event the bowdoor l-l becomesinoperative.

Figure 6'shows to advantage the' generous-space provided for cargo vehicles (in-the deck 31. The fins 3 and" 1" are shown-- in the-stowed position. Figure 8 shows-to advantagethe'mann'er in which the plate frames Ill-stiffen the shell plate It and the'inner skin Theweight of the craft is kept at a minimum by cutting. adequate lightening holes as'at 44 in the frame. 195 Good circulation of air is assured by the air holes '43 while the limberholes at 41 provide ample drainage.

bottom structure while a center line girder- 46 serves a similarpurposein" the weather deck or top of'thecraft. Deck beams 42' at'each frame,

and the inner skin 20" are again clearly illus'- trated. The modification" of the rectangular shape of the hull I in the stern of the craft'is shown in Figure 10. The use of deep floors" for stiifening'the shell plating 1'8 and the deck! is also clearly illustrated. A rider plate 48 is employed when the'central vertical keel passes into a region of deep floors-'35. A'sis' characteristic'. lightening hoiesfl are employed in the deep floors 35in order't'o keep the weight of thecraft at a minimum;

Referring to Figure 1-1',.themeans of closing the bow door I 7 and-'theemergency door r5 will be apparent. For'example, to close the bow door I! from the open position, motors 419dv mounted in the sides of the hull l between theshell l8 and the inner skin 20-drive'the gearsifl which The center vertical keel45 employed to stifien the The engage quadrant gears 49 mounted on both sides of the door I1. When the door I1 swings up on its hinge 12 the forward lip of the door I! fits against the stem 16. The slope on the lower edge of the stem l6 forces the door downwardly to form a seal against suitable gasket material 5|. Dogs or suitable turnbuckles may then be engaged to draw the door I! in against the gasket material 5I secured to the stem IS. The sides of the aperture 53 are inclined toward the center line of the craft from the outside inward to assure centering of the door H athwartship. Gasket material 5| is secured to the sloping sides of the aperture at 53 to insure Water tightness. The operation of the emergency door 15 is the same. This same operation may be accomplished by a hydraulic ram mechanism in place of the gears 49 and 58 as shown.

The spaces provided between the shell plating i8 and the inner skin 20 of the hull l are employed for carrying diesel fuel, ballast, buoyant air, and the storage batteries'requiredfor underseas operation. Proper use of these spaces enables'the craft to submerge, surfaceand the like.

WhileI have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from' the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is;

A vehicle landing craft including a hull, a deck disposed at approximate mid height in-said hull short of the bow thereof, a horizontal transverse stem in said how, a pair of doors closing opposedly on parallel horizontal axes against said stern, racked quadrants fixed to said doors, gears enmeshed With said quadrants, motors for operation of said gears adjacently disposed in said hull, a permanent forwardly downwardly inclined ramp connecting said deck with'the lower of said doors, and a movable ramp hinged at its forward end to the stem and adapted when lowered to rest with its after end on the deck to permit movement'of vehicles through the upper emergency door over theste'ni.

NICHOLAS GAGLIANO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 461,119 Murch Oct. 13, 1891 504,120 Winans Aug. 29, 1893 1,173,432 Jacobs Feb. 29, 1916 1,944,915 Bartenfeld Jan. 30, 1934 2,101,613 Engelmann Dec. '7, 1937 2,341,865 Higgins Feb. 15, 1944 2,425,972 Watter Aug. 19, 1947 2,547,811 Burnelli Apr. 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS- Number Country Date 11,007 Great Britain 1888 20,756 Great Britain 1909 249,262 Great Britain Mar. 25,1926 478,253 Great Britain Jan. 14,1938 

